Wimbledon: Players to watch

Federer, Nadal, Sharapova and Serena are too mainstream for our taste. We pick who we think will be the rising stars

It’s the summer that keeps on giving for sports fans with the attention of tennis aficionados quickly turning from following the world’s best footballers in sunny Brazil to watching legends being born on the grass courts of SW 19. Of course if you’ve got the sports bug like the rest of us, chances are you’re going to tune into both!

While the likes of Federer, Nadal, Sharapova and Serena are likely to grab most of the limelight, here are 6 emerging stars who you’ll really enjoy watching at the Big W this year.

Simona Halep

The 22-year-old Romanian stunned everyone by storming to the Final of the French Open last month, that too without losing a set until she ran into Maria Sharapova. While making the transition from clay to grass has caught out many a youngster, the new world no.3 possesses an all-court game that just cannot be ignored, and her aggressive stroke play should give her every chance of going deep into the second week of Wimbledon for the first time in her career.Best Result at Wimbledon: 2nd Round (2011, 2013)Best Result at a Grand Slam: Finalist, French Open (2014)

Grigor Dimitrov

Better known in the tabloids for being Maria Sharapova’s boyfriend, the 23-year-old Bulgarian superstar’s tennis is finally doing the talking for him. The champion at Queen’s Club last week, Dimitrov comes into Wimbledon as a really hot outsider with every chance of picking up a major scalp or two. Nicknamed ‘Baby Fed’ for completely aping his playing style on that of the legendary Swiss, Dimitrov is a former Wimbledon Junior Champion and many believe a future world no.1. Blessed with a big serve, a well-tuned single-handed backhand and a very decent net game, Dimitrov should comfortably make the second week at Wimbledon this year before he runs into Defending Champion Andy Murray in what could be a blockbuster quarter-final.Best Result at Wimbledon: 2nd Round (2011, 2012, 2013)Best Result at a Grand Slam: Quarter-finalist, Australian Open (2014)

Ernest Gulbis

Born into an enormously wealthy family in Latvia, the 25-year-old is very different from the typical tennis player you find on the professional circuit. A rare personality who doesn’t depend on his match performances for his livelihood, Gulbis has been unsurprisingly termed an incredible talent who loses interest in the sport time and again and struggles with his concentration on court. However, when he is playing his best tennis, Gulbis has proved to be unstoppable and has two wins over Roger Federer on his resume, including one when the Swiss legend was in his prime and still the best tennis player on the planet.
Wins over Federer and Tomas Berdych en route to the semi-finals at the French Open this year suggest that Gulbis might have finally arrived.Best Result at Wimbledon: 3rd Round (2013)Best Result at a Grand Slam: Semi-finalist, French Open (2014)

Milos Raonic

The 23-year-old Serbian-born Canadian is perhaps the most likely on our list to be successful at Wimbledon. Crowned with arguably the best serve in the men’s game today, Raonic has the ability to be a future Wimbledon champ, but has flattered to deceive at SW 19 so far in his career, having lost in the second round for three years running. While initially seeming to be a player in the Goran Ivanisevic mould who would rain down the aces on his opponents, Raonic actually has a decent game from the back of the court, further evidenced from his run to the quarter-finals at this year’s French Open. If he is to do well at Wimbledon this year though, Raonic will need to get past the next person on our list, with the duo scheduled to run into each other in the fourth round.Best Result at Wimbledon: 2nd Round (2011, 2012, 2013)Best Result at a Grand Slam: Quarter-finalist, French Open (2014)

Kei Nishikori

He is Asia’s best male tennis player by a country mile and is seeded 10th at Wimbledon this year. The 24-year-old Japanese star is a dwarf in comparison with most of his opponents, but what he lacks in size he makes up for in desire. Unfortunately sometimes his passion exceeds his physical ability, and Nishikori has struggled with injuries right through his short but promising career.
Now coached by former superstar Michael Chang and blessed with an all-court game, Nishikori has the ability to do some real damage at Wimbledon this year, provided he can get past Raonic!Best Result at Wimbledon: 3rd Round (2011, 2012, 2013)Best Result at a Grand Slam: Quarter-finalist, Australian Open (2012)

Eugenie Bouchard

A semi-finalist at back-to-back Grand Slams this year in Melbourne and Paris, the ‘Genie’ of Canada will be aiming to finally reach the second Saturday of a Grand Slam at Wimbledon. A former junior champion here, Bouchard clearly knows how to win on grass and her showings at the majors this year already suggest that she is quite capable of handling the pressure. Unfortunately for Genie she’s drawn to face defending champion Serena Williams in the fourth round, and unless she can find a way to stop the Williams juggernaut, 2014 may not quite be her year at SW 19.Best Result at Wimbledon: 3rd Round (2013)Best Result at a Grand Slam: Semi-finalist, Australian Open & French Open (2014)